A new method for tracking of motor skill learning through practical application of Fitts’ law

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.A novel upper limb motor skill measure, task productivity rate (TPR) was developed integrating speed and spatial error, delivered by a practical motor skill rehabilitation task (MSRT). This prototype task involved placement of 5 short pegs horizontally on a spatially configured rail array. The stability of TPR was tested on 18 healthy right-handed adults (10 women, 8 men, median age 29 years) in a prospective single-session quantitative within-subjects study design. Manipulations of movement rate 10% faster and slower relative to normative states did not significantly affect TPR, F(1.387, 25.009) = 2.465, p = .121. A significant linear association between completion time and error was highest during the normative state condition (Pearson's r = .455, p < .05). Findings provided evidence that improvements in TPR over time reflected motor learning with possible changes in coregulation behavior underlying practice under different conditions. These findings extend Fitts’ law theory to tracking of practical motor skill using a dexterity task, which could have potential clinical applications in rehabilitation

Nitric oxide: Orchestrating hypoxia regulation through mitochondrial respiration and the endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mitochondria have long been considered to be the powerhouse of the living cell, generating energy in the form of the molecule ATP via the process of oxidative phosphorylation. In the past 20 years, it has been recognised that they also play an important role in the implementation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. More recently it has become evident that mitochondria also participate in the orchestration of cellular defence responses. At physiological concentrations, the gaseous molecule nitric oxide (NO) inhibits the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV) in competition with oxygen. This interaction underlies the mitochondrial actions of NO, which range from the physiological regulation of cell respiration, through mitochondrial signalling, to the development of "metabolic hypoxia" - a situation in which, although oxygen is available, the cell is unable to utilise it

A produção científica da enfermagem e a utilização da teoria de Madeleine Leininger: revisão integrativa 1985 - 2011 La producción científica de enfermería y la utilización de la teoría de Madeleine Leininger: revisión integradora 1985 - 2011 Scientific nursing production and Madeleine Leininger's theory: integrated review 1985 - 2011

Trata-se de revisão integrativa cujo objetivo foi refletir sobre a utilização da teoria da diversidade e universalidade do cuidado cultural de Madeleine Leininger na produção científica brasileira de enfermagem. Foram consultadas as bases de dados: Base de Dados de Enfermagem, Literatura Latino-americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde e Scientific Electronic Library Online no período amostral de janeiro de 1985 a janeiro de 2011. Foram selecionados 62 artigos dos quais emergiram quatro grupos segundo a semelhança metodológica: 16,12% tratam de relatos de experiência; 45,16%, de processos investigativos; 22,58%, de reflexão e 16,12%, de revisão sobre a teoria de Leininger. Constatou-se que a teoria é utilizada para favorecer a proposta do cuidado holístico em enfermagem e a intenção de conhecer e respeitar a cultura dos clientes para que as ações da enfermeira alcancem o resultado almejado. Suscita valiosa contribuição ao trazer reflexões e delinear orientações para a prática de enfermagem.<br>Esta es una revisión integradora cuyo objetivo fue reflexionar acerca de la utilización de la teoría de la diversidad y universalidad del cuidado cultural de Madeleine Leininger para la producción científica brasileña de enfermería. Fueron consultadas las siguientes bases de datos: Base de Datos de Enfermería, Literatura Latinoamericana y de Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud y Scientific Electronic Library Online en el periodo de enero de 1985 hasta enero de 2011. Fueron seleccionados 62 artículos de los cuales se ha elegido cuatro grupos de acuerdo a la semejanza metodológica: 16,12% de relatos de experiencia; 45,16% de procesos investigativos; 22,58 % de reflexión y 16,12% de revisión sobre la teoría de Leininger. Se constató que se utiliza la teoría para favorecer la propuesta del cuidado holístico en enfermería y la intención de conocer y respetar la cultura de los clientes para que las acciones de la enfermera lleguen al resultado esperado. Suscita gran contribución porque trae reflexiones y delinea orientaciones para la práctica de enfermería.<br>It is an integrated review which objectified to think over the use of Madeleine Leininger's theory of cultural care diversity and universality for the Brazilian scientific nursing production. The following databases were searched: Nursing Database, Latin-American and Caribbean Health Science Literature, and Scientific Electronic Library Online in the sampling period from January/1985 to January/2011. Sixty-two articles were selected, emerging four groups according to their methodological resemblance: 16,12% are experience accounts; 45,16% are investigative processes; 22,58 % are reflections and 16,12% are review on Leininger's theory. It was found that the theory is used to favors the proposal for nursing holistic care and its purpose of getting to know and respect clients' culture so that nursing actions accomplish the targeted results. It fosters invaluable contribution as it brings about reflections and designs some guidelines for nursing practice